Eyeshield



M. K. GIBSON May 26, 1931.

EYESHIELD Filed 001:. 30. 1929 Patented May 26, 1931 UNl'l'ED STATESMARY K. GIBSON, OF BALTIMORE; MARYLAND EYEsHIELn Application filedOctober 30, 1929. Serial No. 403,629.

lhe invention relates to eyeshields, particularly adapted for use whilesleeping by persons who are kept awake at night by light coming intotheir sleeping chambers from street lights.

Many persons are so constituted that they are prevented by light fromobtaining restful sleep. For example, some persons find it difficult togo to sleep at night by reason of light coming through a window from astreet light, or that coming through transom from a hall light, or itmay be that they are awakened at too early an hour in the morning by theadvent of daylight, or cannot ob tain needed sleep in the daytime byreason of daylight.

The chief object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of aneyeshield for use by persons such as those just referred to,

0 which shield may be worn without discomfort, and which may be quicklyand easily turned back from the eyes without removing it altogether fromthe head.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an eyeshield whichwill fit the eyes of the user, which may be quickly and easily securedover the eyes, and as quickly and easily removed, and which will belight in weight, and may be manufactured at low cost.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings disclosing an illustrative embodiment of theinvention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shield in use and in loweredposition for relieving the eyes of the wearer;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Flg. 1, showlng the lower portion of theeyeshield folded back or raised to permit the wearer to see withoutremoving the shield from the head;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the eyeshleld having a portion of itscovering broken away to more clearly show how the stiffening membersthereof are shaped to fit the nose and eye orbits of a wearer, and

Fig. 4: is a section View on the line H of Fig. 3.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the eyeshield includes aninternal stiffening member, formed preferably of a stiff or semi-stiffmaterial such as crinoline, and comprising a pair of substantiallysemicircular strips 10, 11 connected by a bridge piece 12. Thesemi-circular portions are shaped at their upper edges to fit the eyeorbits of the wearer, and the bridge piece has a substantiallysemi-circular notch 13 in its lower edge to fit over the nose of thewearer.

The upper edges of the former portions 10, 11 are so located andproportioned relatively to the bridge 12 and the groove 13 in the loweredge of the latter, that the stiffening member will fit the eyes andnose of the average person. 7 The stiffening member is mounted betweentwo or more plies 14, 15 of a soft material, preferably of a dark color,and forming a mask of a length to extend approximately between thetemples of the average person and of a width to extend from the loworportion of the forehead to a line below the eyes and above the nostrilsof such person.

The plies of material are secured together in any suitable way,preferably by means of lines of stitching extending therethroughadjacent the margins thereof, and the stiffening member is securedbetween two of such plies by any suitable means, such as by stitchingextending through such member adjacent the margin thereof and throughone or more of such plies.

The mask is provided with means for securing it in place over the eyesof the wearer with the curved upper edges of the stiffening memberresting in his or her eye orbits, and which will permit the mask to beturned up over the forehead away from the eyes. The means for thispurpose here shown comprises a pair of flat elastic members 16, 17, eachhaving one of its ends secured, as by stitching, to one end of the maskat or adjacent the upper edge of the latter, while the opposite ends maybe tied together as at 18 to hold the eyeshade in position.

When in use the shield extends downwardly over the eyes and face of thewearer as illustrated in Fig. 1, and thus relieves the eves of any glarewhich might interfere with. sleep. Due to the softness of the materialsof which the shield is made, there is no irritation or discomfort causedby its use. The internal stiffening material shaped to fit the eyeorbits and the bridge of the nose serves to prevent the shield fromslipping out of place, as would be the case if no reinforcement Wereemployed.

In the event that the wearer Wishes to see without removing the shieldfrom the head, this is readily accomplished by merely folding back orraising the shield in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2, the semi-stilfreinforcing material serving to hold the shield in this position untilagain lowered by the user.

\Vhat I claim is:

An eyeshield comprising a mask adapted when in lowered position to coverthe eyes and a substantial portion of the face of the wearer, andadapted to be raised from the eyes against the forehead by folding backthe mask, without removing the same from the head, said mask comprisingplies of soft flexible nontransparent material, Without eye openings,which completely shade the eyes of the wearer when the mask is lowered,and a semi-still. reinforcing member secured between the plies andspaced fron'i'the upper edge of the shade, and comprising a pair ofarched portions conforming substantially to the eye orbits of thewearer, said arched portions bein connected by a bridge portion shapedto ht the bridge of the nose ofthe wearer, and means for securing themask to the head of the wearer, comprising straps secured substantiallyat the top of the shade, the arched portions of the stiffening memberserving to hold the flexible material in curved position to preventcollapsing against the face of the wearer when the mask is lowered, andtogether with the bridge portion serving to hold the mask in raisedposition when folded back against the clorehead of the wearer.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 4 V MARY K. GIBSON.

